NiGHTS: Legend of the DreamWalkers
by Jagoria
Summary: 9 years after the Prologue, Morisa still holds her world in Nightopia and have grown strong bonds to the inhabitants of the Dream Realm. Questions arise while others are answered and past ancient legends of Ideya and peacekeepers are re-awoken. Corruption is spreading unknowingly through Renhet's world and only the outcasts of both reality and dream stand a chance. REWRITING
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: Woah… So much retyping. Hopefully I won't get too lazy when rewriting this because that would suck for all of us. I know not many people comment on stories like this. Hell I probably wouldn't unless it was really well written and the OC's weren't Mary/Gary sues. (Which I really hope mine aren't. I promise you they aren't shit characters and I did spend a lot of time fleshing them out.)**_

_**This continuation is very heavily referenced to the Prologue (If you haven't read it then nothing will make sense to you I bet) SO GO READ THAT FIRST!**_

_**I hope to post chapters in chunks as I'm rewriting using the old documents. That's the plan. :) **_

_**If you do fav or review, updates will come in faster. I have poor self esteem already…I have a feeling that probably wont happen if not very few. If any errors or spelling issues come up could someone please point them out for me. I got no beta reader. But I'm determined to see this through. **_

_**I'm on a motherfuckin mission yo. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own SEGAs original characters**_

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_**Chapter 1.**_

Morisa's hand fumbled with her skirt pocket for a split moment, inevitably to find nothing there. Usually this wasn't the normal custom. Her phone was like an adopted child to her and she always had it close to her person, even when sleeping. Within its sleek silver confines lay over eight-hundred songs, WIFI access and a communication haven that she rarely had a chance to exploit in the real world.

And once again, it was missing.

Blast that tight-wearing bastard.

Grumbling, the young teen scanned the monstrous trees blocking out the sunshine above which in turn occupied Morisa's equally monstrous Nightopia and hollered, "Get yer ass down here! I know you're up there!" She expected no reply, and that was exactly what she got in return. With a loud huff, Morisa stalked over to one of the lower trees −which in all honesty wasn't really all that low to the ground− and jumped for the closest branch. The girl missed for the third time and cursed loudly before lunging for it again, then a fourth time, before finally grabbing on to the smooth bough of the tree.

It almost surprised her that she was able to reach it. Almost. Over the nine years since moving in Bellbridge her genetics had only allowed the girl to grow to a miraculous 4' 11. Eight inches wasn't much to brag about with the exception of when comparing herself to her companion. What was she to complain? The wonderful amount of stereotype her physique supported towards her culture still never ceased to infuriate her. It just wasn't funny anymore. Where Morisa lacked in size however, she made up with strength and with very little struggle she hoisted herself up onto the branch and began to climb.

Shimmying carefully to another tree slightly entwining with hers, a distant garble of sound poked its way out from the upper-most canopy. Jesus Christ, was he trying to blow out the head phones? A menacing chuckle bubbled up within her chest and escaped when realizing the advantage she had.

"Can't hear me, huh? Poor decision, Renhet."

Her head broke the surface of leaves and sure enough, there he was. Lounging on the top branch with her ear buds stuffed under his red and purple jester hat, blasting a Linkin Park song that could clearly be distinguish. Morisa still had the drop on him and it was a nice turn of the table. Having the ability of flight only made him harder to catch.

Ren's back faced the position she held and his sharper senses were blocked. The time to strike was now. The girl perched herself on the branch behind him and began to debate on whether to just pummel him with her fist or break off the nearest branch beside her. Sure it sounded like an over-abusive punishment, but the guy also wasn't human and had the inhuman build of a rubber shock absorber. Nightmaren did not batter easily.

A decision was quickly made and corporal punishment would be set at minimal for now. She'd gotten her hands dirty on more then one occasion, so why hold off the inevitable? Morisa inhaled a sharp breath and scrunched up her nose.

Adrenaline and irritation fueled her next moves. Morisa's hand rose up to promptly smack him hard over the back of the head. Even with the jester's hat there to cushion the blow, the sound of the collision came off as hollow. It almost made her laugh, but she had a façade to keep.

As soon as the physical contact was made, Ren's head flew forwards and his hand's flew up in defense. When his face whipped around to see it was only the visitor, he glared.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL?" He voice was a shout, deep and gruff. She doubted he could even hear himself speak over the music. Her mouth opened wide to rival his yell.

"NO ONE TOUCHES _MY_ PHONE AND- WOAH!" With all the grace of a turtle on stilts, Morisa's foot slipped on the smooth branch and she latched on to the nearest support. As luck would have it the Nightmaren was the one she stumbled into. As luck wouldn't have it however, it caught Renhet off guard enough to completely forget to use his flight abilities and they both plummeted.

Yelling out alarmed shrieks and shouts while hitting a few branches on the way down, they landed on the earthy floor and a dull thud punctuated the impact.

A groan escaped the jester who now lay face down in the dirt. Renhet suddenly found himself thanking the many deities of reality for not having a nose to break. A human knee jabbed him in the side and a noticeable weight held his upper half down.

Morisa shifted, causing the joint to dig in further and he hissed, eyes rolling. "Oh, get _off!_" Ren's hands drew up closer to his body and his arms proceed to push himself upright. It all happened quickly and gave girl no time to vacate her spot before the momentum had her tumbling into the bush. Morisa squeaked when her side hit the dirt and the jester left the ground to hover above her. His hands briskly slapped away the dirt on his the white, mid-length sleeves before moving on to the vest he wore, not looking dreadfully pleased. Meanwhile, Morisa re-gathered her bearings. That confrontation hadn't ended so well. She almost wanted to keep laying there but the glare of icy eyes staring down at her would have nothing of it.

After the dusting finished, Renhet's pale arms crossed over his chest and he growled crossly. "What the hell was that for?"

Still seated on the ground and not the slightest bit intimidated, Morisa only had one response to this question. She held out her hand, pointing to the head phone cords poking from his headwear.

"Phone. NOW." It was simple, strait to the point, and she put every ounce of seriousness she owned into the words. A long, lecherous grin stretch the Nightmaren's face and he casually pulled out the device hidden under his vest.

"Oh. You don't mean this, do you?" Renhet waved it nonchalantly before her face and retracted his hand swiftly before the girl could swipe for it. Delayed, for she still sat on the ground and had to stand, another attempt to pounce was quickly thwarted. Renhet's feet left the ground further in a shimmer of white sparkles until he was only just out of reach, causing the visitor to snarl.

"HEY!"

He snickered at her from the air. This was how it usually played out with the Nightmaren taunting her inability to apprehend him whenever he took to the sky. What a bully. Always thinking he has the upper hand in these situations. Unknowingly to his _fine_ perception however, she could still reach with a jump start. As he turned away to abscond elsewhere, Morisa dashed a few steps forward and swiftly leaped upward. Her hands grappled determinedly onto the Nightmaren's ankle and hoisted herself up while the other struggled to disengage her. Her fingers capture one end tail of his hat and she knew the battle was won.

Gracelessly, she dropped to her feet, yanking the gaudy headwear off. The sight of poofy silver hair and the sound of an undignified yelp summoned a triumphant chuckle from the girl.

Give this guy an award for epic hat-head.

"Hey!" Renhet's arms shot up protectively to hinder her view. This was a fruitless mission, and it only made her laughed harder. _"Give it back!"_ He then began to zoom around the visitor, looking for an opening to grab the stolen piece of wardrobe. Morisa smirked and took up the jester's previously harassing role before the tables had been tipped. As she twisted, shielding the hat closely clutched to her chest from swift hands, the girl asserted sternly.

"Phone first, _THEN_ hat."

The Nightmaren halted his urgent actions and hesitating for a moment. A short battle played out on his face before the reject dream-demon finally groaned in defeat.

Both exchanged the items held hostage. It wasn't often that the visitor would win. She pocketed the device after rolling the earphones and shut it off, while the other individual promptly shoved strands of hair up and out of sight.

"I've memorized every song on there." Renhet smirked after banishing the last bit of white and the girl stared back in disbelief.

"I don't believe you. You know why? Because there's 900 fucking songs on here." The jester remained unmarred by the sting and lounged backwards in the air as if the recent argument never occurred. Instead he laughed.

"Aw, Mori'. I'm the one with the better IQ, remember? I'll bet you full use of that for the night," He pointed at the pocket her hand had hidden the device in. "If I can guess, oh, 5 songs of your choice?"

That remark about her IQ deserved a good slug to the shoulder. However the visitor's curiosity had been peaked.

Holding a nerve-breaking stare with him, Morisa pulled out her phone again and tugged out the head phones. The built-in speaker rocketed to life after she pressed shuffle.

"12 Stones, World so Cold."

Lucky guess. She flicked to the second song, "Fallout Boy, My Song's Know What You Did in the Dark."

The third, "The Gazette, Zetsu."

This test went on after five. Soon they reached seventeen songs before Morisa let out an aggravated growled.

"Fine, take the damn thing!" The girl stood from the tree stump she'd claimed as a seat during the quiz and walked up the red jester, slapping him in the stomach with the electronic device before removing her hand. If it weren't for quick reflexes he wouldn't have caught it falling. Renhet chucked triumphantly and followed the visitor out of the woods as she stalked off.

This, believe it or not, was the norm for their little twosome. They'd confirmed it as a semi-black friendship developed over almost a decade of nightly visits. Had it really been that long though? Morisa often wondered where the time had flown. She could speak English now as if she'd known it before birth. Even her accent was nearly indistinguishable now. The language exchange between her and her otherworldly companion had also been deemed successful. Engaging in arguments using both Japanese and English proved to be refreshing for the palette. Hell, Morisa couldn't say it was ever boring. The only thing regrettable about teaching Renhet Japanese was that she couldn't call him anything obscene to his face now without a follow-up response. Oh how amusing it was in those days.

Whatever other mannerisms Morisa had gained over the years, including a horribly sassy mouth and a brash attitude, had also rubbed off/educated her dear friend in the annoying arts of being an _asshole_. Which he really needed no help with since the beginning. _Really._ Having no decent role models to grow up with in your own realm can be quite a problem indeed. An air-happy jester and an old fart of an owl did not count as _decent_, neither did she for that matter. _Wait._ This wasn't her realm. It was difficult to keep track of 'what' happened 'where' in her life at times. Memory be damned. Morisa had never suffered from the amnesia after affects which Owl constantly warned her about, yet she still often forgot the littlest things. Like how long it had been since discovering the Dream realm. If it weren't for the fact that her and Renhet had grown up things never truly changed.

"You know, Shortie. It's a good thing you jump like a squirrel. I didn't think you could reach me from−"

"_Don't_ Make Fun of My Height! You're a guy and _still_ shorter than me." She snapped, hitting back with another lame and overly used burn.

He's still trying to pick a fight? Genuine guy behavior. Though he wasn't one, not really. _Oh well, gives me a reason to smack him. _The visitor kept walking with the other on her tail, or braid to be more precise.

"I do believe we've had this discussion before." Renhet hummed. She knew that discussion, fair well.

"Yeah, yeah I know. No balls figuratively or physically speaking. Gotcha." There. That was a good one. It was often that she'd forget the oddity of Nightmaren and their gender confused builds as well. Renhet held himself as any male would in appearance and in voice. But when the feminine traits slid in here and there it killed her in all the best of ways. Morisa smiled to herself and caught wind of the glare striking her back. A small tug at the cloth-pleated braid running down her spine jolted her backward.

"Ow!" She growled out a bunch of other intelligibly irritated noises and smacked his shoulder. "Let go!"

"But it's such a convenient leash. Never cut it, please." Morisa's lower lip curled into a scowl at his sardonic gush.

"I'll yell for NiGHTS."

The Jester winced and pulled back a foot or so, releasing the girl's hair. She could play her cards well.

"Low blow."

"Actually I was thinking about cutting it." Growing up, Morisa played the occasional video game. Unfortunately she had horrible coordination when playing and could only fully complete a handful of games in her lifetime. It was a shameful existence for her. Final fantasy had been one of those admired games, and with a blind determination set she began to grow out her hair like Yuna. The character was confident, and confidence was what she needed at the time. It had been a good seven years since she began sporting the look and the hair running down her back easily reached her ankles.

"Aw come on." Oh look. Now he's squirming. Serves him right, "See, I let go. Happy?"

A familiar giggle blossomed up from behind them and Morisa was the one who jumped. She never liked it when others crept up on her.

"Boy, don't _you_ have a way with the ladies." NiGHTS gleefully twirled above them before screeching to a halt not far in the air, a familiar grin situate in place.

"Hey NiGHTS." Morisa acknowledged before his son responded.

"Lady? She's a demon in a visitor's body." Ren didn't even need to look at the girl to avoid her swinging hand. At times he could be shit at dodging, and at other's it was as if Renhet and her were the same poles of a magnet. He had they habit of being unpredictable, just like her.

"Cut it out." His mother tisked. Probably sensing another looming scuffle in the distance. Just then the girl remembered that she had forgotten something and gasped suddenly after this realization.

"Oh no, no. It's okay. I need to check on Gimpers." This caused the other two to stop short and stare at the human.

Ren snorted and NiGHTS gave the girl a questionable look.

"Fuck. That's what you named it?"

"Gimpers?"

Morisa stuck her fists promptly up onto her hips and raised her head smugly. "Yes, I named him Gimpers. Gimp-kun for short. 'Thought it fit."

"No really. Who's Gimpers?" NiGHTS butted in again. Morisa turned to the purple jester with a huge smile.

"I found a Nightopian with a gimpy wing. I think he hatched that way. He's so cute." She gushed.

"They all look the _same_." Renhet received a scowl for his comment before the girl continued.

"But he's special. He always falls on his face while the other's scamper around him." She made a sketchy little circle in the air while twirling her index fingers, "I like keeping him company."

"_Alright?_" NiGHTS sounded unsure of himself when the word slid out. The kid was weird already. Why question it?

Renhet yawned and lazily waved the visitor off. "Fine, go. Leave us in peace. We won't miss you." Morisa turned away from the duo and ran for it, waving behind her nonchalantly.

"It's hard to believe she's still able to visit here. I mean, most visitors over her age never stick around for this long and I have yet to see any of her Ideya in person."

"I've come to the conclusion that she's a three year old stuck in an eighteen year olds body. 'Throws tantrums like one." Renhet rubbed the spot on his covered shoulder where her hand had hit. That was going to leave a mark. Not like he really cared much. At most times their banter was just a playful exchange. I was just the way they were. But she could really hurl a punch when she wanted to. It kept the Nightmaren on his toes and taught him not to mess around with human females.

"I don't know Ren." That face did not suit his mother. Nope. Not at all. Any worried, serious, or depressing looks were not allowed to be reserved for the happy, carefree soul who raised him. His slightly longer mouth drooped into a frown.

"Stop worrying will ya. I'd rather you not become a bothered old coot like Owl. Even at your age." Ren pecked him on the cheek as any other loving son would and dashed off, leaving NiGHTS under the canopy of trees. A few seconds passed before it clicked in the other Nightmaren's head.

The best way Renhet had learned to distract others was through insult. Morisa hadn't taught him that.

_"H-HEY! What did you just say?!"_

All the violet jester could hear was the tail end of tenor laughter fading further into the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**_** Sorry for the long delay. Work, school and college stress has been a hefty distraction in my life lately. _-_ There's a lot of plot holes I need to fix within the middle of this series and it's difficult when all you have to reorganize and redo all 18 chapters. I'll get there eventually. **_

_**Please inform me of what you think on the story so far. Prove to me that you want more chapters or not. I got reviews for the old story (It was shit btw) but nothing for this one yet. I know the fandom's dying/dead. But I want to bring it back. :) **_

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**Chapter 2.**

Tedious. Really, it was. Why bother sending him to locate her when there could've been someone else closer in the vicinity? Apparently it was _his_ job now to know where she was at all hours of the day. How shameful, to be reduced to this. Laughable.

Reala petulantly turned the corner, entering the hallway accommodating the highest ranking offers. Three doors stood at attention. One of them in particular remained fully barricaded by stone, blocking it from any curious hands or eyes. It was really too bad Wiseman wouldn't just tear it up and replace the room with a blank wall. The most recent addition within the corridor lay diagonally across from his own quarters. In all reality however, it was almost a decade old already. Boy does time ever fly when you're immortal.

The newest dwelling he came to face to face with and Reala's fist met the door sharply in a few knocks.

It was still fairly early in the day, or, er… night? The time zones of Reality worked differently when compared to the Night Dimension, so what did it matter? As long as the occupant opened up their blasted door and gave Reala what he required, it mattered none to him.

A scrabbled of uncoordinated claws on wood had Reala glaring at the door. Just as he presumed, his partner revealed herself looking half-dead. Reala had been well aware of Coget's later shift during the previous night and how it had been taxing on her, but if anyone knew about the whereabouts of _her_ dependant, she would. Time to get down to business.

"Where the hell is she? The master's sent for her but she's not in her−"

"Already gone." The other first level yawned. It was such a nonchalant answer.

"What? Gone? What do you mean gone?" Glare tapering further, Reala crossed his arms.

"Early shift. Can't imagine how she does it," Another yawn. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"When did she leave? I−"

"Awn, poor daddy. You can't always keep tabs on her, she's a big girl." She clucked. Coget snickered lightly as her partner winced at the word _daddy._ This wasn't the correct topic he came here to discuss about.

"HEY! Not so loud!" The red 'Maren hissed, "And I'm only here, because _somebody_ can't receive Wiseman's telepathic waves and has to be informed of orders _directly_."

Coget giggled and let out a nostalgic sigh, brushing off the others frantic words. "Yeah. I'm going to miss it too." Her pink eye glanced away from Reala's face to observe something behind him and then quickly looked away. Her grin spread wider.

"Are you even listening to me?" Was all Reala could grit out before the subject of their conversation spoke up behind him.

"Onee-chan. Reala." The brief greeting had the eldest of the group recoiling away from Akila's presence. He turned to face the Nightmaren no longer in Coget's, nor his direct care.  
She hadn't changed much, but had grown to her full size. Still she was cosmetically the clone image of Reala, however as her build filled out over the years, her form had become far more sleek and agile.

All Nightmaren had a choice of whether they wished to be addressed as male or female. The irony behind Akila choosing to keep the title of _she_ had become rather amusing to Reala. Her other violet creator insisted on the title of _he_ and denied of his outer appearance no matter what anyone said.

Thankfully Coget was the first one to speak. "Well, that was fast!" Akila shrugged at this response.

"It didn't take much to get through her, she only had one Ideya." Her soft-spoken voice rung an octave lower then her mother's. Whenever her voice rose high enough Akila could make the red general jump out of his skin. "Bella said you were looking for me?"

"The master sent for you." Reala repeated and then inquired curiously, "You've been taking all the early missions?"

"Yes. I can't sleep in."

"I wish I could say the same."

Akila glanced over at her guardian dozing off in the doorway. "I see. Um, maybe you should go back to bed." A smirk tugged at her black lips as well as the stitched ones of her caretaker.

"Ah, love to. Have fun sweetie." Coget then paused for a moment and glanced over at Reala knowingly, before shutting the door with a giggle. An silence bloomed between the two. While Reala had become her mentor over the years and she respected him, there still existed a solid wall between them. This wall, was a very awkward wall.

"Well, I'd− better get going then." Akila trailed off, not really knowing how to break the tension. Backing out of the hall she sped off before Reala could respond.

The realization came to Reala that Akila was long gone by now. He sighed and readied a dimensional window where he stood for his next mission. A memory of how fascinated those inquisitive blue eyes were when first seeing a portal passed over Reala's vision and in turn he worked faster.

"9 years." He shivered at the thought, "Time really does fly."

**0-0-0-0-0**

"_**Akila."**_ Wiseman's hands peered down at his dwarfed minion below. She knelt over the god's abyss and bowed her head, playing the proper respects.

"You called for me master?"

"_**Yes, I have cleared your scheduling for this week and I've replaced it with a more… formidable mission." **_She gazed up at the impervious being in confusion.

"Of course, Master Wiseman. But, is it necessary to clear the entire schedule?"

Wiseman silenced for a period of time and Akila briefly wondered if she spoke out of line. Her figure tensed under the gaze of the master's four visible hands.

"_**Indeed. It is." **_He finally drawled._** "I need you to scout a visitor for me. This one in particular has− evaded, all attempts of second-level and third-level attacks. Very few have returned and from what has been reported, the visitor fights alone. Discover the source of power they have at disposal as well as any weaknesses to be exploited and inform me of the information gathered."**_

Akila's mind froze. Wait, was this the same visitor she'd been hearing rumors about? She wasn't a very social individual, but being the quiet, observant one, she had overheard little snippets of information for the others. Four of the newer Second-levels had vanished from the eating-room tables over the last month. These disappearances happened one after the other. Subtle, as they were. It caused quite a stir up among the brighter Nightmaren. Akila chose to keep her mouth shut when a vast number of questions bubbled to the forefront of her mind. Angering the master was something that she just _didn't_ do.

"_**Now go, you will have as much time as you need to dispose of him if what he carries is not of use to us. Take precautions. If successful, you will be promoted."**_

_Wait. What?_

"Pr-promoted, master?"

Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Was he really?

"_**You were originally of first-level class. But you have proved your worth loyally to me despite your amnesia. You will be re-granted you're intended title."**_

Oh sweet Jesus. He _was_ serious! It took every ounce of concentration for Akila to not just squeal out in joy.

"_**However, if your task becomes known to the other levels, then punishment will be received. No one is to know. Understood?" **_

A foreboding chill ran down the Nightmaren's back at the sound of the warning. Suspicious as it was to enforce this particular rule, Akila's head bobbed in agreement regardless.

"Thank you Master Wiseman. I will be sure to bring back good news." He briefed her on the rest of the necessary information before dismissing the underling.

As soon as the master's eyes were out of range she lapped into a little victory dance, but stopped short when coming to a solid resolution. It was time to prove herself and she knew _exactly_ how do it.

**0-0-0 **

_Now, how the hell do I go about this?_ Shortly this became the newest question for Akila to ponder. After hovering around the northern side of the castle, her confidence had begun to wane. She'd never preformed a stealth mission before but that wasn't the real concern. If the visitor _did_ have something useful for the Nightmaren army, was she supposed to force him into assisting with their conquest? Or was she suppose to capture him and let Wiseman do the talking? Akila hovered down one of the central hallways puzzling away, now thoroughly less enthusiastic about her future task.

A pattering of feet went by her unnoticed until a bold squeak piped up beside her, "Oh! Akila!" The Nightmaren in name looked up from the floor. A squat mouse-like Nightmaren waddled up to her from one of the rooms and she smiled warmly down at him.

"Hello, Lolly-Boo." Many of the castle's occupants thought Wiseman had finally gone of the deep end a few years ago after creating this Nightmaren and his twin sister. Often times Akila would hear gossip in the hallways involving the second-level's appearance as being an insult to his kind. Yet this lack of scary didn't affect the Nightmaren's Ideya count. Cuter could be creepier they say. Once that had been her tactic when she was younger.

"So, what'cha up to?" He asked, blinking cheerfully up at her. His eyes were large. Large enough to cast the illusion of innocence. Which wasn't much of an illusion at any rate, he was pretty damn feeble.

"Fantastic actually, you?"

Lolly Boo hesitated, then sighed. looking significantly less courageous than usual. "Claws tried to eat me again."

Akila stared at him dumbly for a moment before giggling. "Lovely. You know, I could help again you if you're being bullied." She patted him on the head and his strange, blue ears submissively lowered. Countless times Akila had come to his rescue before. It was how they'd met and become close acquaintances. Rarely did a Nightmaren assist another of its kind unless ordered to. More commonly if one did, they would do it for personal benefit. The pathetic creations were left to fend for themselves in most cases, but Akila was a strangely kind soul. Over the years, many Second-level Nightmaren had come to trust her because of this; and trust was a challenging achievement when working under Wiseman the Wicked.

"No, No! It's fine, honest. I've got my dignity to uphold you know." He laughed as well, but nervously.

"Alright, alright." Drifting off towards the central hub, the younger Nightmaren followed her on pittering feet. Akila initiated small talk once more. "Where's your sister?"

Her companion sighed, "No clue. I'm looking for her actually. 'Was going to ask you."

"I see. Well, I need to get going. Just got reassigned. I'll see you tomorrow."

A fleeting look from the tragic mouse had her smiling again apologetically. He stopped at the next intersection of castle tunnels but Akila continued onward. "Aw, Okay. See you." It had been obvious that the Second-level was upset, but Lolly-Boo could talk in circles for hours. Akila had nothing on her mind to talk about other then confidential information. Also, he was a sweet dear and a good friend, but she enjoyed the company of silence better.

As they parted ways, she turned down the west corridor towards the cafeteria. Before they were out of ear shot of each other, Lolly-Boo piped up at the other end of the corridor.

"By the way! You should probably pay Cerberus a visit soon. He's getting antsy again."

That made Akila chuckled and she nonchalantly proceeded to wave the mouse off. "Oh it's no big deal. He's just a lonely, old sweetheart." Out of the corner of the jester's eye she saw the mouse shudder, even from this distance. A small, _"Yeah, to you maybe." _mumbled from the smaller Nightmaren and a proud smile graced her lips. The story behind this conversation was a shocking one indeed, especially to newer models. It was a even greater scare for the elders.

Two years after the corruption outbreak left Akila the only survivor. Eluding discussions on the topic had become a specialty of hers and eventually no one bothered to inquire about the incident. Around that time, as an amnesia victim, she had been re-taught the ability to speak in full sentences and relocated to her own residence in the Second-level wing.

Without any company her age, distractions were welcome whenever loneliness reared its ugly head. Exploring Nightmare to pass the time had become the most popular. Whenever a new door had been discovered she would open it to observe its owner going about their business. By the end of her long exploration, Akila had seen almost all the interiors of every room in all three wings. Finally, it had come down to two final doors.

The first one, located in the First-level corridor, was blocked and couldn't be entered. The second door Akila was forbidden to open, but that didn't stop her.

_"Where does this go?"_ Akila stood at the foot of the door, staring and red panels shaped the door as it towered thirty times over the curious little Nightmaren. Golden trim held all the edges together and her claw ghosted along the metal procautiously.

Interest won out over the trepidation of getting caught. She was a good little Nightmaren, but it wouldn't hurt to break _one_ measly rule, right?

It took a good deal of strength to push the panels apart, but she succeeded to make a crack large enough to slip through.

The room inside had the appearance of a warehouse. She took a few airborne steps into the heavy lake of mist concealing the ground, removing her fingers from the large handle in the process. The heavy rungs of oxidized chains slopped down from the high ceiling at every angle and Akila regarded them tensely. Many crisscrossed in front her view, like a trap created to alarm the room's occupants of intruders. This arrangement was enough to put Bella's web nets to shame.

She had no choice but to land on the misty ground and crawl under them. Being as small as she was, Akila had no problem slipping under and shortly stood up on the other side. Taking to the air again would've been a hassle, as similar obstacles lay in her wake, so she remained on her feet.

A couple more steps forward and the toe of Akila's boot caught on a hidden mass under the fog. Her arms slapped the ground to cushion the fall and it scattered the powdery white clouds.

Recovering from the shock, Akila looked down at the accused object behind her trip. Suddenly wished she hadn't. A small pile of carcasses and bones lay at her feet.

Gasping in fright, she hurriedly straitened herself up. Maybe this room was better left unknown to her, was the little Nightmaren's frantic conclusion. Slightly more fear addled, it didn't occur to Akila what was hanging innocently over her head until a weight thumped against her hat and a metallic rattle hit her ears.

A guttural snarl lashed about the room and the little Nightmaren's body locked in place.

Akila slowly lowered her head enough to get away from the chains and turned to come face to face with a set of narrow, violet eyes and a snout the size of three of her. It raised its large, blue head and its narrow jowls opened into a livid, fanged growl. Another identical, crimson face rose out from the mist beside it, equally infuriated.

Though Akila's body remained devoid of movement, her eyes hadn't. She noticed the chain connecting the two at the back. Alarm continued to trickle down Akila's back in sickening spirals, but not as potently as before.

Her legs felt rubbery as the snouts drifted closer, but no longer were they sounding off warning growls. A waft of air puffed from the first dog's nose. Akila stared at them, not daring to move until they pulled away. They actually weren't all that scary when curious.

After finishing with their inspection, Akila felt a moment of courage. Slowly she let a hand rise to touch one of the snouts, not breaking her gaze with the blue giant. Staring it in the eye, it didn't pull back or snap at her hand. The canine's spiky form relaxed as Akila's fingers made contact with its large nose. Tenderly, she pet the blue fur just above the black patch and a timid smile tugged at her lips. When it whined a bit and laid its head at her feet, it gave Akila a better access to its pointed ears; her claws went to work scratching behind them.

The red one, previously watching from the sidelines, began to seem interested with his twin's strange new treatment. The blue one's brother lowered its head inquisitively down to Akila's level and it flinched when the small Nightmaren offered her other hand.

As if ending off an initiation for her acceptance, the blue canine brought out its tongue and licked the jester up the left side of her body. It managed to nail her face, arm and everything else with saliva in the process causing the youngling grimaced. Letting out a loud "_ew"_ and giggling at the slimy feeling, Akila lost track of time spending it in the home of her new friends.

An hour or so into Akila's visit, the earlier adrenaline running through her system subsided, allowing a heavy wave of drowsiness to wash over her. Both dogs had relaxed as well, lying close together with muzzles nearly touching. Accompanied by the soft, manes and burning body heat of both canines, she dosed off on a red paw.

When Reala finally peered into Cerberus's lair, it was nearing the end of the day.

Many times Akila had heard her superior talk about it with others. That was when she realized that her luck was astounding.

All of Nightmare knew about Cerberus and his reputation. Even the First-levels had no control over the wild animal's rage, so everyone steered clear.

From what had been gathered through gossip, a few Nightmaren had been sent out to search for her. Exceeding expectations even further, Akila's luck seemed to have placed Cerberus's lair on Reala's list of last resorts. The general was about to leave the doorway, in fear of waking the beast up, however he noticed a small blue figure contrasting against the red dog's paw. At first, he assumed it was a toy but when he managed to get in close enough to look, the shock nearly knocked him dead.

There was Cerberus, protectively curled around Akila, who in most normal cases would've been the perfect size for a snack.

Even Wiseman had to pause and process the information after being informed. After everything had been sorted out, the master hadn't given Akila any trouble. In fact, he treated her newly found companionship as an asset for his forces.

A loud scream from across the hall tugging Akila away from her thoughts.

A swarm of Second-levels crossed over into the rarely used infirmary now far from where she hovered, dragging a hysterical Nightmaren along for the ride. Akila dashed over to the group in attempt to assess the commotion, but she wasn't fast enough. The closing door cut her off, as well as the unlucky Second- level attempting to escape. Akila knew better than to force the door open, any interference could make the situation worse. She turned her back to the infirmary and her eyes caught sight of the bright trail of blood painting the stone floor of the foyer. Her brow creased, disgusted and concerned.

"What the hell was that about?" She murmured out loud.

"This is all thanks to that _one_ kid. A Second-level finally made it back alive." Akila jumped hearing the voice so close. Bomamba appeared behind her but she hadn't heard the door open.

Akila's response was obtuse, but not censoring the range of her knowledge would only get her in trouble. At least the Visitor's dreaded presence wasn't a total mystery to everyone."The Visitor behind the killings?"

A deep grin parted the witch's lips. "Wiseman's going to crack this one open for information once he calms down. I dunno what the Visitor did, but this guy's arms were sliced clean off." The cat lady cackled. Akila wasn't sure if the trigger had been her strained expression or the _delightful _image of missing limbs. Bomamba left the foyer, bounding off on the top-like point she used as a foot. One of the witch's many balled cats uncurled from her arm as she hopped and it grinned at her under the bloodstained sleeve. Aki gulped. That green one still made her uneasy, even after nine years of knowing her. The news Bomamba offered hadn't changed Akila's opinion of the Second-level. This Visitor however made her feel even worse. Perhaps this mission was a little more then she bargained for_._


End file.
